In a couple of previous BLOG postings, I’ve expressed my concern about the Grover Norquist phenomenon in American politics; but very few people, especially those who live on the western edge of America, even recognize the name; and even fewer know who he is or why he has become important. Norquist is a nondescript individual who has discovered a way to become the tail wagging the beltway dog. There is nobody in the Senate or the House of Representatives who doesn’t know who he is. He runs an organization called Americans for Tax Reform. His group has been pressing politicians to sign a pledge not to vote for any net tax increase under any circumstances. All but 6 of the 240 Republicans in the House, along with two Democrats, have done so.

Norquist and his group have been successful in convincing millions of ordinary citizens that taxes are keeping them from realizing the American dream. The name the group has chosen, Americans for tax REFORM, seems reasonable enough; but “Americans for Elimination of Taxes” would be a name that more accurately describes their goal. They never even hint that any tax is reasonable. Norquist and his group have never proposed an alternative resource or plan for paying for anything... the cost of government, police and fire protection, national military services, education or any of the other services and social programs that engage and assist virtually all Americans; their singular goal is the elimination of taxes. Norquist and his pledge strategy will continue to paralyze government with the kind of gridlock we witnessed during the debt ceiling crisis. That was a tempest in a teapot which could have been easily avoided. Norquist with his pledge mentality promotes the idea that rigidity is to be prized above everything else. Don't give an inch. Don't listen to any solution that involves compromise. The Norquist way of thinking reflects a theology that has no room for nimbleness and compromise. Flexibility and compromise are not only the best indicators of maturity but are the essence of sane government.